I love to drink freshly squeezed fruit juices as they not only taste great but come in so many colors and consistencies. Some fruit juices are full of vitamins, nutrients, minerals, digestive enzymes, pure water, and disease-fighting antioxidants.
Fruit juices have the power to cleanse your body of toxic wastes.
For example, Pomegranate juice has been claimed to help fight cancer; cranberry juice is good for the brain and help prevent Alzheimer's disease. The red grape juice, like red wine, is beneficial to the heart. Prune juice which is high in fibre, iron, and potassium contains a natural laxative known as Sorbitol and is recommended for relieving constipation. Perhaps the most common fruit juice which is cheap and easily available is orange juice. It is loaded with vitamin C and has immune-boosting benefits.
Recently I read about a tropical fruit juice which has amazing health properties – the Sour Sop juice. The juice is white with a creamy flavor reminiscent of coconut or banana and has a refreshing sweet sour taste.
Sour sop, which is also known as Guyabano in Spanish and Graviola in Portuguese grows mainly in the tropical regions. The flesh of the fruit consists of a juicy white edible pulp that is high in fibre, carbohydrates, Vitamins C, B1, B2, and potassium. Fortunately it is also low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium.
Sour sop can be eaten raw when ripe and can be made into ice-cream, sherbets, candies, tarts, shakes and other beverages.
Sour sop has been used as traditional herbal medicine in many countries. It has been used to suppress spasms, induce sweating and vomiting, Boling the leaves of the fruit tree and drinking it help reduce fever and induce sleep. The crushed leaves can be applied to the skin to alleviate rheumatism and eczema.
Studies on sour sop have been done over the last few decades by leading medical institutions, pharmaceutical companies and universities. Findings and results have shown that certain compounds and chemicals extracted from sour sop fruit, seeds, leaves and bark appeared to kill cancer cells without harming the normal cells. They were proven to be effective in hunting down and killing cancer cells in the breast, lung, prostate, pancreas and colon.
In a separate study, scientists have proved a chemical found in the sour sop selectively killed colon cancer cells at 10,000 times the potency of Adriamycin, a commonly used chemotherapy drug.
Conventional healthcare professionals may regard such alternative medicine and claims as unproven and even harmful. Indeed there are some drawbacks in consuming sour sop. It is known to interact poorly with antidepressants, affect blood pressure and destroy good bacteria in the stomach.
So it is wise to consume fruit juices, including sour sop juice, in moderation, especially those who are obese and diabetic.
As for me, drinking a freshly squeezed fruit juice after an exhausting exercise is a great treat.
